Blood of a Demon
by hardrocker21
Summary: A man named Mike loses his sister and later learns that unearthly forces were involved. After meeting death as well, his blood becomes tainted and he is resurrected in a new form. But the evil within him plans to take him over and now he must be helped by a young silverwing and brightwing and his spirit must be cleansed before he loses control completely. Mainly follows TV series.
1. Loss

**Alright my first Silverwing story. I've been wanting to write one for a long time. I will start by saying that the first two chapters won't really be Silverwing themed as they just introduce my OC. But we'll get there soon enough.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Silverwing**

The year was 1997 and the location was a small town about twenty miles south of the Canadian border in upstate New York. The town consisted of some small buildings of various businesses, a church with a cemetery on the hill, a number of houses, and even a junkyard on the edge of the town. It was late spring and the day felt nice. But unfortuntely it wasn't a beautiful day for everyone in the town.

Twenty-one year old Mike simply stood beside the open grave and watched as the casket was lowered in. He could feel the spring sun beating down on his back as he watched the coffin disappear into the hard earth as the preacher presiding over the service continued to read from his book aloud. Mike could hear him talking, but he didn't care what the man had to say. His younger sister was gone and there was nothing he could do about it except watch the box that held her body being placed into the ground and try his best to keep his tears that were falling from his brown eyes from being observed by the rest of the onlookers. The time dragged and he continued trying to drown out the sound of the preacher as he continued to read from the good book. He could only sigh in relief as the preacher finally said, "Amen" and closed the book.

As the gathering around him finally dispersed, Mike could finally walk away from the grave site. He watched as his parents were comforted by friends and coworkers. But Mike didn't care for any comfort at the time being. All he wanted was Sarah back. His sister had been one of the best things he had in his life or in anybodies life. She had the personality that could lighten anyone's day. Especially his own.

He ran a hand through his short blonde hair as he walked the nearby hill and took a good look around the cemetery. What he saw were two other groups of mourners as they buried their loved ones as well. For you see, Sarah had not been alone when she had had her accident. She and two of her friends had been on their way home from school when they were caught in a car crash. The official report read that their brakes had malfunctioned and this is what caused the accident as their car went off the road and slammed into a tree. It was hard to believe that was just a couple of days ago. It still felt like it was only a couple of hours ago that he had hugged his sister and telling her that he'd see her after school.

Mike himself had been at work at the town's diner when he got the call from home. He could recall very little of the following few minutes except for the sound of the phone slipping from his hands, clattering on the ground, and then being curled up on the ground as his tears fell to the floor below him. Her death had hit him hard, but the deaths of all three girls had hit the community as a whole. He couldn't help but wonder how much of the town had come out to say goodbye to the three of them.

The town itself was a rather small one with a population of less than five thousand. The memorial service at the funeral home had been open to the public, but the actual burial had been private for the family and friends. Mike was at least happy that much of the town cared, but it didn't take away from the emptiness that he felt inside of him right now.

Mike stood at the top of the hill and looked down at the town itself. He watched as cars continued to pull away from the funeral home and went elsewhere. Where to? Mike didn't care in the slightest. He just leaned against a random grave stone and watched the people of the town go by and carry on with their day to day lives. As far as he was concerned, his life would never be the same again. Even as a few people came by to offer their condolences to him, it didn't matter. Sarah was dead, yet the emptiness remained inside him. Their words were just that. Words.

Sometime later his parents came by and it was time for them to leave. Mike cast once last glance back at his sister's burial site and watched as the grave diggers began shoveling the dirt into her grave. With a heavy sigh, Mike turned away and followed his parents out of the cemetery.

A month passed and Mike and both of his parents were finally able to build up the nerve to enter into Sarah's old room and start moving some of her stuff out of there. After a couple of days they had donated all of her clothing and even found some people to buy her furniture and belongings. Soon all that was left was whatever was in the old cupboard at the back of her closet.

The house that they lived in had been old when his parents had moved in before the two of them were even born and a few of these old houses had cupboards built into the walls of the rooms for some reason or another. Mike wasn't sure what they were used for, but all he knew is he had found the key to it and decided to see what Sarah had had inside. When they were smaller, she liked to take things from the rest of the family and would usually hide them in the cupboard in her room. He had always wondered what else she would hide inside and decided that now would be the best time to see. After all, no matter what was inside she wouldn't be needing them anymore.

He walked into her room and looked around at the barren remains. Gone was Sarah's bed, gone was her dresser and bookcase. Gone were the curtains that hung on the windows. It was as if they were removing all traces of her. The only thing that remained of her was the pictures that hung on the walls in the hallway. At least it was better than nothing.

Walking into the room and over to the closet, Mike pulled the key out of his pocket and went inside. He flipped the closet light on and let out a few coughs as the air was still dusty despite the cleaning they had been doing in here.

Mike tried to clear the air with his hand and said, "Jeez Sarah. Didn't you ever clean in here?"

He held the door open for several moments to get the bad air out and for his coughs to subside. When at last he could breath properly again, he took a few breaths and faced the cupboard once more. He quickly unlocked it and pulled it open. Thankfully there was much less dust in here. Probably due to the fact that it hadn't been opened in a month and had little to no contact with people at all.

"Now what do we have in here?" Mike asked to no one but himself.

At first he found a couple of magazines that she had been saving, mainly travel stuff as she had always wanted to go traveling. A few books that she had wanted to hang onto. But the thing that caught Mike's eye the most was large cardboard box that was shoved into the back of the cupboard. As he reached in to grab the box and began lifting it, Mike could feel the weight to it and realized just how stuffed this thing must really be. Well he'd let his parents sort that out as like everything else, it would have to go.

As he carried it out of the closet and out of her room, he looked down at it and saw that something was written on the top of it. He looked and saw that it said 'TO BE DESTROYED'. Mike looked at the writing and made a wondering look on his face. He didn't have any idea what Sarah wanted to get rid of or why, but knowing his sister, if it was worth destroying it was probably something big. Or it could have been a prank she'd been planning to pull on them before the accident. Either way, curiosity got the better of him and so he turned away from the flight of stairs leading down to the living room and turned towards his bedroom.

After slipping into his room silently, he looked out to make sure that no one could see what he was up to. Heck he wasn't even sure what he was up to cause he had no idea what Sarah had in here. So making sure that no one could see him, he set the box on his bed and opened it up. The first thing he noticed was a picture of him and her in the park. With their arms draped around each others shoulders. The two of them had been as close as siblings could be and did a lot of stuff together. He let out a sigh and folded the picture up and placed it into his pants pocket.

Next he found several notebooks sitting on the top of a large pile of other stuff. He carefully took these out of the box and set them aside and dug deeper into the box. He mostly found a few small wooden or stone statues of beings of Mayan folklore.

Mike couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Since she had entered high school, Sarah had been very interested in geography and she had had a little obsession with South American culture. Especially the Mayans and their range of folklore. The statues she had placed in the box he recognized from various museum gift shops they'd been to when they went to visit the different exhibits that she had wanted to see. How'd she'd pester him for some extra cash when she couldn't afford what it was that she really wanted. No matter how much he resisted, Mike would always give into her demands. Of course she would always pay him back afterwards so it didn't bother him too much.

Mike couldn't hold back his laughs now or keep from looking at the little statues as some tears slid down his face. He started digging into the box again, but this time he felt something scrape against his finger with a sharp pain.

"AH! Dammit what was that?" Mike said as he pulled his finger back out.

Thankfully his finger wasn't bleeding, but he could see the damaged skin that resulted from the scrape. This time he removed the other items that sat on the top of the pile and rummaged through the box to see what had pricked his finger. Soon though he found his answer. It was one of the tiny statues that Sarah would always get from their little museum excursions. He looked closer and discovered that it indeed had been smashed to bits resulting in some jagged edges, but that was unusual.

Sarah treated her little statues well and would never do something like this to them.

He took a closer look at the broken statue and wanted to see which one it was. As he observed it and tried to piece it back together again, he began to notice that it had a bat like structure to it and it had a look that screamed evil. He seemed to recall Sarah getting this one because of it's fascinating appearance and she had stated that it looked right for a demon of death. That was only a couple of months ago.

Oh how innocent she had seemed then.

He looked down at the remains of the statue and put it back in the box along with the others. He was about to put the notebooks back into the box when he saw the one that sat on top. It simply read 'CAMAZOTZ' on the cover. He'd heard that name before, Sarah had mentioned it several times in the couple of months leading up to her accident. Acting on curiosity, he flipped open the book and began reading the first pages.

In the pages, she mentioned that she had started reading about the demonic bat god regarding his position in the Mayan world and the rituals of human sacrifice for him. Mike gagged a little as he read about the rituals themselves, but it didn't stop his reading. Next she talked of some absurd notions regarding the reasons for the sacrifices and as to the concept of such a being being considered good at all, but regardless she was still very interested in it so she kept it up. As the weeks go on, the writings got a little stranger. Right to the point where she mentions claiming to hear some strange voices in her sleep. But she passed it off as a product of studying too much. That was something she did plenty of and yes it did sometimes affect her sleeping habits. He couldn't help but wonder what college would have been like for her.

However in the last week before the accident, she brought up seeing the god Zotz in her dreams now. That she smashed her Zotz statue because she believed that it was haunting her dreams. But they wouldn't cease and it was effecting her to the point where she was actually afraid to sleep. She wrote several times that when she fell asleep even during the day, she'd hear him speaking to her. Then he came to the final entry of the notebook and as soon as he saw the date, it filled him with dread.

March 24, 1997. The same date as her death. With growing dread and sorrow, he gazed down at the entry to see what she had to say.

**(Sam's journal entry)**

_The dream came again early this morning, only now it was different. At first I heard just his voice calling out to me as usual only it sounded different. There was more venom to his voice than what I was used to. This time it sounded like he was very angry, like I had done him some wrong. I tried waking myself up as usual, but I just couldn't get out of it. So I decided to follow it this time into the darkness and gloom. It soon felt like I was lost, like something was blocking my attempts to escape. It was only then that a deep red light appeared and I could make out something stirring in the shadows. I first thought that there was some salvation for me, but instead as I got a better look I saw it for what it truly was. _

_It was HIM. The demon god himself stood over me and said that he wanted me to join him. Join him for what? I didn't care though. I said no, but he threatened me with death. I still didn't care, I just wanted out and that's when I came out of it as he yelled the name Fergus over and over again. I don't know what that means and I don't care. I've had with these dreams and it's because I got involved in this Zotz obsession. Tonight I'll be burning all of it, but I'm going to keep this notebook to remind me to never get involved with the dark side of folklore again._

**(End journal entry)**

Mike saw this and slammed the notebook back down on the bed and covered his eyes tightly. He could feel the hot tears of his eyes begin to ooze out of his eyes and down his face. He didn't believe a lot of this demon stuff, but Sarah sure seemed to think it was real and after her. It pained him to know that his sister was tormented in her final days like this. But if this thing did exist then why her? If this demon bat did exist, why go after a regular girl who just wanted to study him? Well she had mocked some of his character and even those who had worshiped him. He could imagine a higher force being angry over something that, but it'd be small compared to what the rest of the world did.

Mike tried to move it out of his head as just his mind going nuts from grief and that his sister may have been going mad in her last days. From what Mike remembered, she hadn't been sleeping very well and she'd even been a little jumpy as well. It may not have felt real to Mike, but it was real to her. And then there was something else that bothered him as reopened the notebook and reread the entry.

Fergus?

They knew a mechanic in town named Fergus who had diagnosed the problem with Sarah's car as brake failure as the factor that led to the crash. He knew a lot about automobiles and had the knowledge to determine it as the leading cause. However that also meant that he could sabotage a vehicle just as easily.

Mike started shaking his head and said, "Nah that's crazy. Mr. Fergus has been here as long as I can remember. How could he even be involved with something like this?"

Still though the feeling wouldn't shake off of him and it resulted in a sour feeling in his stomach. He tried to get it out of his mind and walked out of his room to get something to drink. This whole thing had him feeling thirstier than usual and he needed a cool refreshment to help him feel better. He went down stairs and headed straight for the kitchen. As he entered in, his father who was sitting at the table, looked up and saw him.

Mike had inheritated his looks from his father seeing as they shared the same hair and eye color except that his father's hair was longer. However Mike was of a shorter stature. His father stood at least six feet tall with a few more inches Mike guessed while Mike was only five feet nine. He too had been hit hard by Sarah's passing, but he seemed to be recovering from it now while Mike just seemed to get worse and worse.

"Mike? You feeling okay son?" his dad asked as Mike went over to the kitchen sink.

Mike stood at the sink startled by his father's question. He wanted to turn back and face his father, but he just couldn't muster the courage to do so.

"Yeah dad I'm fine. I'm just feeling thirsty is all," Mike said as he grabbed a glass and turned on the faucet.

His father stood up and walked over to Mike as he filled the glass.

He placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Are you sure? Your eyes look flushed."

Mike tried to explain it, but before he could say anything his father let out a sigh and turned Mike's head towards him.

"I know what's wrong Mike and I understand. You've been crying again and you know what? That's okay," his father said.

This time Mike couldn't help but look back towards his father as he wrapped his thick arms around Mike and patted his back a little.

"I know it's been hard. Both you and Sarah were so close. And I bet looking at the stuff in her cupboard got to you. Don't worry. As long as we have our memories of her, she'll never be truly gone," he said and Mike sniffed a little bit.

His father released him and patted his shoulder one more time.

"Just wait. It'll get better in time," he said and went back to sit at the table.

Mike sniffled a little bit as he drank down his water and placed the glass in the dish water. This new wave of grief only added to the new wave of anger that began to build. What if the things that he suspected were true? Sarah had never been a superstitious type and if she actually believed that something in her dreams was going to get her, then he figured that something wrong was going on. He figured he could at least go to see Fergus and put his theory to rest.

"Hey dad I'm going to go for a walk for a bit. When mom gets home, tell her I'll be back in a little while," Mike said.

His father nodded and said, "Don't stay out too long. It'll be dark soon."

Mike looked out and he could see the sun was starting to go down. He nodded back and went back through the kitchen and living room. He grabbed a brown jacket and went out. He looked up the street and saw his route to Fergus' place. His neighborhood was small and the local mechanic shop was easily within walking distance of the house. He closed the door and began walking away from his home.

**So how was the first chapter? Good? Bad? Or average? Next chapter things will start falling into motion as Mike goes to visit this Fergus guy.**

**Be sure to read and review please.**


	2. Answers in Death

**Thanks to Lisa, Guest and Ranger Danger for the feedback and I realized I forgot to add Sarah's description and I'll fix that here. This chapter is where things should be getting more intense as it will contain some violence and some gore later on. Let's see where this shall go. So please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Silverwing.**

Mike walked down the street and watched as a few cars passed right by him and eyed some of the neighbors as they each went inside for the night. He tried to avoid making eye contact with any of them and instead just quickened his pace. Last thing he wanted at the moment was any human interaction. Figuring that he needed a distraction, he reached into his pocket once again and could feel the photo still resting inside of it. He pulled it out and opened it up once more just to look at it. The only thing he could focus on was Sarah's smiling face.

She had had black hair like their mother and brown eyes like their father. She had always been such a lively and active girl and always kept herself fit. She very rarely ever worried about her weight even when she did manage to put on a few pounds. She would never try to act perfect though as she still had a weakness for snack foods as did Mike. She wasn't fat, but she wasn't really slender either, but she liked it best that way. Better to look like a regular person instead of a toothpick they would always say together.

Mike finally looked away and refolded the picture before sticking it back into his pocket. As he prepared to walk on, he heard a honking sound and saw a blue car pulling up to the curb beside him. He saw the woman behind the wheel and recognized her instantly. Guess she would make it home before he did after all.

"Hey mom," he said as he waved at the car.

She waved back at him before she pulled over to the side of the road and she began rolling down the driver side window. Her hair practically gleamed in the fading daylight as she smiled back at him.

"Hi there Mike. Where are you doing out this late?" she asked him.

Mike put on his best poker face, shrugged and said, "I'm not really sure yet. I could just be walking around the block a couple of times. Who knows? Just wanted to do something to relax is all."

Despite his best efforts, his mother could see the flushed look in his eyes and figured out why he was out and about.

She sighed and said, "Thinking about Sarah again aren't you? I know it's been hard Mike. It's been hard for all of us."

Mike nodded and said, "That's what dad was saying. It's less painful than it was before though. I'm mostly just trying to keep myself calm is all. Easier said than done though."

However while he was saying all this, he was trying his best to keep his mother from suspecting his true intentions. That he was really off to confront the local mechanic over the writings of a now deceased girl. Unfortunetly, it was one that just so happens to be his younger sister. Last thing either of his parents needed right now was to be concerned over the mental status of their only remaining offspring. Especially after having just lost the other.

Thankfully though, his mother didn't suspect a thing or pry about it.

She just nodded and said, "Just don't stay out too long okay. It's going to be cold out tonight and the sun will be down in a little bit. Then it's going to get really cold."

Mike laughed a little and said, "It's okay mom. I've got my coat on me."

His mother laughed a little as well and said, "Just be home before it get's too dark."

He nodded and she rolled up the window before driving away as Mike waved her good-bye. He pulled his coat up a little more because his mother had been right. The temperature was beginning to drop as the sun continued to go down in the horizon. So he set out again at a brisk pace to at the very least keep him warm.

It was only a five minute walk from his house to Fergus' shop, but twilight was approaching and the stars were beginning to appear in the night sky so he had to do this quickly. However the shop itself appeared to be closing up for the night as the lights inside had been turned down and all was silent within with the exception of some music playing from the radio. But Mike knew better than to assume that no one was in there. Fergus lived in his shop as well as worked in it and Mike knew he'd be around somewhere.

He walked up to the front door and yanked on the handle. And just as he expected, the door was locked. So he tried knocking on the door and waited a moment for a reply. He waited, but nothing happened. There was no movement inside and there were no shadows moving inside.

He knocked again and this time he called out, "Mr. Fergus?"

Nothing happened and Mike groaned out of frustration as this was beginning to irritate him.

"Mr. Fergus? It's Mike Degal. Are you in there?" Mike called out as he knocked harder this time.

There was still no movement inside so Mike decided to go ahead and search around on the outside of the shop to see if Fergus was doing some outdoor work. Sometimes Fergus would wait until the end of the work day to take care of some other tasks around the shop. Such as removing trash or even power washing anything that needed to be cleaned. Vehicle repair was a dirty job and things constantly needed to be sprayed down so that it could be used the next day. But as he rounded the corner to the back area of the shop, he saw neither hide or hair of Fergus anywhere.

He groaned in anger and figured that this whole thing had just been a waste of time. He was about to leave and head straight for home, when he heard a rustling sound coming through the nearby open window of the shop. Mike looked over and could see that someone was moving around inside. He silently crept over to the window and decided to take a quick peek inside. As he peered through the window he could see that someone, a big someone at that, was moving around inside the office area of the shop, but he couldn't get a good look at who it was.

Before he could get a better look at whoever was there, he felt something land on his shoulder and it caused him to jump slightly and quickly turn back around. Standing behind him was a middle aged man with short brown hair, dull eyes and a rough build on him. His mouth was full of crooked teeth and some were even beginning to rot and his chin was filled with beard stubble. These factors combined with a slightly unpleasant body odor told Mike that this guy did not practice good hygiene at all. The older man grinned a little as he eyed the young man with nearly red eyes. Red eyes for Christ sake. This factor alone made Mike wonder if Sarah was right about her dreams. Maybe something really was up with this man.

"Are you okay there Micheal? I didn't scare you did I?" asked the man in mock concern.

Fergus didn't really care if he had scared Mike or not. Scaring folks was something that he enjoyed doing to everybody. Mike took a moment to let his shock to wear down before speaking. He didn't like surprises at all seeing as he was frequently a little jumpy due to a few incidents with fireworks in his childhood. He couldn't even stand the sudden loud banging sounds that the car doors. Even when he anticipates it, the sound still makes him a little jumpy when it isn't him making the noise.

Finally he managed to take a breath and said, "Yeah. I'm fine Mr Fergus. You just surprised me is all."

Fergus chuckled a little bit and then he asked, "What are you doing here this late? Shop closed up for the night five minutes ago so I can't help you with any car troubles tonight."

Mike began shaking his head and said, "No no. Nothing like that at all, my car is fine. It's just that I was thinking about... well..."

Fergus held up his hand and said, "Let me guess, you heard some folks saying some nasty stuff about me? Stuff that might make it sound like I've done something wrong?"

Mike shook his head and said, "No nothing like that sir. It's just that I found something at home today and I was thinking that maybe you know something about-"

Fergus placed a hand over Mike's mouth, shushed him and asked, "Does it involve your sister? Because you never came around my place like this before she died. In fact you rarely come round here even now."

Mike nodded and Fergus pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a quick sigh. He looked around for a second and appeared to be nervous while doing so. Was he looking around for someone or something? Mike couldn't see why he would unless he was hiding something. This was giving Mike some bad feelings.

Fergus finally removed his hand from Mike's mouth and began pulling him along with him and said, "Let's not talk about this out here son. Let's go inside where we have more privacy. I don't trust any of the prying eyes out here."

Mike nodded and turned back to look through the window again. But whatever had been in there was gone as there was nothing but a dark room now. They went around to the front of the shop where Fergus pulled out the key to the front door out of his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. He pushed Mike into the shop and carefully closed the door behind him once more. Being sure to look around the area in front of the shop as well.

The mechanic shop itself looked like what one would expect with something like it. The area where they were was the main lobby area and the entire room looked like it had been coated in a layer of grime. There was an old register sitting on the counter. An old sofa and armchair were resting against the wall where people could wait for their repairs to be done. A dying plant was sitting in one corner, likely from either lack of light or watering. A magazine rack was across from the sofa and it was holding reading material that was likely several months old. And finally a bulletin board to keep track of the daily repairs. A clock sat above the counter and the room was so silent that he could hear the ticking sounds it made as the seconds passed by slowly. All else that remained was a door to the bathroom and the door to the back room. The very same room where Mike had seen something moving around.

Fergus relocked the front door and quickly went over into the main garage area where Mike could hear that the radio was still playing. The garage itself was a regular mechanic's garage with a hydralic lift and various tools lying about. He could hear the song Two Princes playing and Fergus was cursing at it. Mike could assume that the song wasn't his type of music and he sort of confirmed it when the music stopped with a loud crashing sound.

"Ah dammit all. Oh well. At least I can afford a new one," Fergus stated angrily as he carried on his work.

He could hear the sound of Fergus locking the main doors to the garage and it also sounded like he was checking another door in the back as well. Then he could hear Fergus walking back over to the lobby area. As he walked back in, he beckoned for Mike to follow him into the backroom. Mike hesitated at first but soon did as Fergus suggested and the two of them wandered into the very room where Fergus lived in.

Inside the backroom was a a small table with a couple of chairs pulled up to it and a ramshackle bed that Fergus slept on. The place was certainly not orderly as he had various auto parts lying on every open surface except for the table and bed. And the table itself had some grease stains on it. Parts were on the nightstand by the bed, on top of his dresser, covering the bookcase, and a few were even piled up on the floor. There was also a fridge and a microwave sitting on a counter in the room as well that served as a make shift kitchen. A coffee pot sat on the counter and some coffee had been brewing inside of it.

"Come on in son and please don't mind the mess. I keep meaning to clean up in here," he said as they entered into the room.

They walked over to the table and Fergus offered him a seat which Mike gratefully accepted. Fergus walked over to the coffee pot and grabbed two surprisingly clean coffee cups and filled each of them up with some steaming coffee.

"Care for some sugar in your coffee?" asked Fergus.

Mike shook his head and said, "No coffee for me please. I'm good."

Fergus shrugged and poured himself a cup before sitting down with Mike at the table. He lifted the cup up to his lips and took a big gulp of coffee. After he finished, Fergus turned his attention back to Mike.

"So what was it you needed Mike?" Fergus asked.

Mike took a breath and said, "Well I was in Sarah's room today and I found some things from her. Writings that talked about a lot of dreams."

Fergus laughed a little and asked, "And you thought I might know something about it? Tell me, what does this have to do with me?"

Mike then took the time to explain everything that Sarah had talked about in her writings. The demon Camazotz, her dreams, the last nightmare and the mentioning of Fergus and how the demon had put emphasis on his name. As if it was the most important detail that the demon needed to speak of. The whole time Mike explained everything, Fergus just sat back and continued drinking his coffee. Taking the time to nod every once in a while to at least appear like he was paying attention or showing some interest.

Finally after several minutes, Mike finished telling him everything and Fergus just finished off his coffee.

He set the cup on the table and asked, "And what does any of this have to do with me per say?"

Mike tried to speak but Fergus interrupted him before he could say anything.

"Cause from the sounds of things, your sister, God rest her soul, was having some paranoid delusions and may have had some bad feelings about me. Cause it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't like me so it may have been a more personal thing than actual spookies coming out to say boo," he suggested as he got up to put away his coffee cup.

Mike shrugged and said, "Maybe it was. But there was something else that happened. While I was looking around for you earlier, I saw something through the window in here. Something big."

Fergus froze for a second and said, "I see. And what kind of something was it that you saw?"

"I couldn't see them very well. Whoever it was was in here, they were big. That's all I know really," Mike explained.

Fergus stood silently for a second before saying, "Sounds strange to me. If you'll excuse me for a minute son, I forgot to check on something. Stay here and I'll be right back."

Mike nodded and Fergus walked out of the room and back out into the lobby area of his shop. Mike waited for a couple of minutes for Fergus to return, but he didn't return. Feeling concerned, Mike lifted his head to try to listen for him. But as Mike listened, he could hear the sound of Fergus walking back out into the garage area and this was soon followed by the sound of a door being burst open. Curiosity got the best of Mike and he got out of his seat to go take a look at what was going on out there. He crept out of the office and out into the lobby. As he looked into the garage area, he got a look of a lit open door and as he got a little closer, he could hear the sound of Fergus talking with someone in the room beyond. By creeping into the garage area he could see Fergus' shadow standing in the lit room and could see the shadow of someone else standing in there with him. He could tell that it was a big hairy man with broad shoulders in there and to Mike's surprise it looked very much like the thing he saw earlier. By moving closer, he could hear what the two were saying.

"I see. And what does he know?" asked the second persons in a deeper and almost growling voice.

He could see Fergus acting nervously and he said, "I don't think he knows much. I mean he probably suspects something's going and I know that he saw you just a little bit ago."

"He did? Then that means we have to get rid of him. Go back out there and make sure he doesn't run off," said the other man.

Mike paled as he heard them speaking these words. They knew that he had seen something earlier, but the fact is that he hadn't seen much. Would they really kill him because he saw this other person? He didn't even know who this other guy was. So why get rid of him?

"Oh come on man. From the sounds of things he didn't even get a good look at ya. Look I'll just tell him to stay away from the shop and be done with it. No need for more killing," Fergus argued back.

But the second man was adamant in his decision and said, "NO! We can't take the risk. He may try to leave now, but he'd just come back again to get proof of what you did to that girl and her friends."

"His sister?" stated Fergus.

"Oh so it's her brother out there? The little witch that insulted my master and now rots in the Earth where she belongs? Well now this is most excellent. Why don't we arrange a little family reunion for the two of them? Now go kill that boy," said the mystery man.

Fergus shook his head and said, "No. I agreed to worship him and do some of his bidding, but I can't take any more killing. I already killed three people for him and they were all teenagers. I just can't do it anymore."

The other man then lunged for Fergus and grabbed him by the shirt collar and he must have been strong seeing as he was able to lift Fergus off the ground with relative ease and hold him for as long as he did.

"I am your handler Fergus and I gave you a direct order. I told you to go kill the boy and you refused. Last chance. Kill him or pay the price," said the man.

From where he was standing, Mike could only watch as Fergus violently struggled against the man's grip and even attempted to kick him in the chest a couple of times. The man stumbled a little bit and then slammed him against a table in the room with a massive amount of force. Mike grimaced as he heard the slam and then squeezed his ears shut as he heard Fergus' screams of pain.

Next he heard the mystery man growl and say, "Well then, I guess I'll have to do it myself. But as for you, your services will no longer be required."

As the mystery man moved around Mike now got a better look of the shadow of the man and realized that the guy had a muzzle instead of a regular mouth. As it opened Mike could see rows of jagged teeth. He turned away before he could see what happened next, but that didn't stop him from hearing Fergus' agonized screams and horrible gargling sounds. As the sounds of Fergus' death continued, Mike ran back into the lobby area and ran for the front doors. But just as he recalled, they were still locked and banging against them didn't help either. He realized that he would need to find something strong to smash against the glass, but before he could do so, he could hear the sound of someone bursting forth from the side room in the garage. It must have finished with Fergus.

"I KNOW YOU'RE THERE BOY! I CAN SMELL YOU FROM HERE!" yelled the man.

Mike turned away from the doors and dashed straight towards the backroom where he figured he could use the back window to get out. But as he entered the doorway, there came another crash as something slammed right into the door frame leading into the garage. Without even realizing it, Mike whipped his head in that direction and saw the "man" himself. It had a dark gray look to it's skin and it's eyes practically glowed red as it eyed it's victim standing before it. He looked at it's arms and could see claws at the end of it's hands and from the way it swiped at the wood, he could tell that they were razor sharp. Attached to it's arms were leathery wings and both were the same color as the rest of the creature's body. White hair covered the top of it's head and extended to it's shoulders. It's feet also ended in the shape of claws and most likely were just as sharp as the ones on it's arms. It's mouth hung open as it licked the blood off of it's teeth and moistened it's lips.

"Now make this easier on yourself little human. Stay still and let me kill you. It'll be much easier for the both of us if you can do just that seeing as there is absolutely no way out of here," it said with mock calmness.

But Mike wasn't ready to die. Not one bit. This thing was going to tear him apart if it got a hold of him and that was not his preffered way to die. So all he had to do was avoid it's grasp and get out before it could tear into him. But he knew that would be much easier said than done. He had to figure something out and fast.

Luck however appeared to be on his side tonight as the monster reared back and prepared to pounce on him. As the creature pulled back, it pushed on it's legs and sailed through the air. Mike however dove right for the interior of the room and the monster struck it's head on the corner of the wall and fell to the floor. Mike laughed at the beast's misfortune and dashed for the open window. He quickly pulled himself through and was about halfway out, when he felt something grabbing his ankle. He looked down and could see the monster grabbing him with it's razor claw and it was trying to pull him back into the room. Mike could feel it's talons digging into his skin and he could feel the blood starting to run down his foot and into his shoe.

He began kicking at the beasts claw and this resulted in Mike being able to pull himself out a little bit more. But the creature kept it's hold on him as it continued to cut deeper into him. When he finally got one leg out, Mike used it to give himself some extra leverage and with one quick push, he was able to get his foot free of the monster's grip and got himself away from it. Losing a shoe in the process though.

He landed on the grass and looked back up to see the creature trying to climb out of the window as well, but it was too big to fit through. Mike decided to not waste any time and quickly pulled himself to his feet and started running away from the shop as fast his hurt leg would allow him. In his confusion, he got completely turned around and couldn't figure out which way to go. Given a moment to clear his head, he'd easily be able to figure out where to go. But the monster wasn't about to let him have a moment.

With a crash, a section of the roof in the shop flew off and Mike could see the arm and wing of the monster as it started pulling itself out of the shop. It eyed him and let out a growl.

"Oh come on," Mike groaned and turned around once again as the creature pulled out of the building.

He began running again, which was hard for him due to his hurt foot. He glanced around to find a hiding place, but nothing around offered a good hiding spot. As he franitcally searched, Mike heard something up in the air above him and he looked up to see the creature again. It was now coming in towards him rather slowly as if it was moving in for the kill and in a taunting manner as well. He looked around to see if anyone was still on the streets, but now that the sun was down there was no one left outside. And there were fewer houses in this area of town and most of them weren't even being lived in. The only other place around him was the junkyard.

Wait the junkyard.

There were plenty of places to hide there and it was less than a block away. If he could get there, he could give the monster the slip or at least hide long enough for it to go away. He started rushing towards the junkyard as fast as his momentum could, but the thing was still gaining on him and he could hear it swooping in and getting closer. He could see the gate to the yard up ahead. All he had to do was hold out for a few more moments and then he could get inside.

And it was here that he felt a sharp pain rip into the back of his shoulders and he could feel himself being lifted off of the ground and up into the air. This thing was carrying him up higher and higher until they were hanging several feet over the junkyard itself. The monster let out a dark cackle and released him, causing Mike to fall to the ground below. He landed roughly on some busted metal and could feel the cuts starting to form around his body as he tumbled down the various busted materials. He finally felt himself hit the ground and he then began to try to crawl along. He was soon stopped when he felt the same sharp foot pressing onto his back and applying pressure to him. He screamed as loud as he could before exhaustion began to take it's toll on him.

The monster loomed over him before getting down onto it's knees and wings. It began to crawl around him in a circle like a vulture would do with a carcass. Mike crawled a little more and the creature would let him. He slowly began to hit the realization that he couldn't win against this beast and just crawled towards a pile of broken metal where he believed that he could just lie down and die. But as he looked under the pile, he saw what he believed would make for a good weapon. A broken piece of rebar with a jagged edge. He reached out and pulled it from it's little tomb and hid it under himself as the beast finally stopped over him.

"Well now I see that you've finally given up little human," the beast said and began to turn Mike over.

In an instant, Mike used what little strength he had left and he jumped up and inserted the busted piece of rebar straight into where he figured the beasts heart would be. As the piece of metal sank into it's skin, the creature shrieked and Mike inserted it some more. Once it was in a good way, Mike released the rebar and smirked.

"If I'm going to die, you're dying with me," Mike said and spat at the monster.

The monster growled and then backhanded Mike as hard as it could, causing a new rush of pain to run through Mike. Before he could react, the monster grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into it's chest, sending the rebar into Mike as well. Mike was far too weak to even scream anymore even though it hurt like hell.

"That's my line you little pest. Tell me is it scary knowing that you're going to die? Upsetting that you failed in you're little quest? Can you feel death's cold embrace coming? Oh yes, my master will be pleased with this development," it said as it pulled itself off the rebar and kept it stuck in Mike.

It's black blood ran down the broken rod and oozed right onto Mike's open wound and seeped right into his body.

It growled in delight and said, "Your sister insulted my master and his subjects. We gave her what she deserved and now you can join her. And since my underling here is dead as well I have to reason to stay in this town now. Have a nice afterlife."

It laughed and the giant demon bat spread out it's wings as it flashed into flames. It continued laughing as it slowly faded away from sight and into ashes. Mike groaned and tried to drag himself away, but it was no use. He lied back down on the ground and stuck his hand into his pocket one more time. He pulled the picture out one last time and glanced at it. Eventually his gripe became too weak and he forced to let go of it.

All he could do was lie back against the ground and one last time he muttered, "Sarah."

He closed his eyes as darkness then consumed his vision.

**Well that'll do for this chapter and man was that intense. On the plus side Mike was able to figure out what happened to his sister. However he has other problems now. Next chapter is where the Silverwing stuff will FINALLY get going.**

**Until then please tell me what you think of the story. It helps me continue.**


	3. Resurrection

**Thanks again to Lisa and Ranger Danger. This chapter is where the Silverwing portion officially begins. This took a little longer than I wanted due to a major writing project that work has offered me so future chapters may take a little longer than I anticipated. Not much else to say so enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Silverwing.**

In all but a moment, Mike could feel the pain in his chest diminish and then go away completely. He could still feel the wounds in his chest and shoulders, but the pain that came from them was fading away. What was going on with him?

As he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but wince due to the brightness that was surrounding him. As his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings he tried to lift his head and look down at his body, but he couldn't see anything at all. It was as if the light was the only thing around him that existed. Was he in Hell or Limbo? Mike couldn't tell and only wished to be free of this place. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't react. All he could do was lie there and move his head from side to side. How long would he have to be like this? Is this what death was like or was something else going on?

He didn't have to wait long however as he soon began to hear several voices around him. They started off as just whispers, but they quickly began to grow louder to the point where he could hear them much more clearly. But the things they said made him continue to wonder what was going on. Were they in this plain as well or were they just in his head? And as he listened to them, they spoke with rising concern.

"Poor fool. He had no chance against that demon. No chance at all." "Death by demon. Soul torn apart." "Must fix his soul. Takes time." "It bled. It bled into his wound." "Demon blood in a mortal? No good." "Tainted blood. Tainted blood." "Fate worse than death." "May Nocturna have mercy on his soul."

What were these voices talking about? What tainted blood? He could remember attacking the monster that they were talking about and he could remember it's blood dripping onto him and into his wound as well. Wait a second. Is that what the voices were talking about? It's blood getting into his wound? That's what they sounded so concerned about? What was wrong with that? He was dead now after all so what was the big deal about something's blood getting into him? When dead you shouldn't have to worry about such things.

And who was Nocturna?

"What's wrong with a little monster's blood in me? I'm dead so what do I care? Why should I worry?" he asked out loud to no one in particular.

Then in the multitude of voices, another voice broke right through them and silenced the others. But this voice was different than the rest. It was clearer than the others and this one sounded more feminine as well. There was a kindness to her voice and she spoke with such gentleness. After dying a violent death like he had, it was something he had wanted to hear.

"There is much to worry about young one. Death is not an ending, but the beginning of something else. Something bigger," said the mystery woman.

At first the voice shocked Mike when he heard it. But as he listened to her voice and the gentleness in it, he was able to calm down enough to focus on her.

"What the? Who are you and where am I? And why can't I see anything? I want out of here," he asked out to her.

He could hear the woman let out a little soft laugh and it said, "I can understand why you're concerned and have some fears. Let me assure you that I know what can be done to help you."

This person wasn't making any sense to him, but he felt that she didn't want to cause him anymore harm than what had befallen him earlier. In fact it sounded like she really wanted to assist him with whatever was wrong.

"Okay so tell me this. Am I dead?" he asked.

He heard the woman let out a sigh and said, "I'm afraid that you are child. You bled to death in that yard at that monster's claws."

Mike groaned and said, "Oh that's just perfect. What are my parents going to think? For crying out loud we just lost my sister and now they've lost me. They won't be able to take anymore than that."

"I'm very sorry that they have to go through that, but I'm afraid that it's outside of my control. I cannot interfere with the world of man while they live. That's why you were brought here to me. When a mortal being is killed by a demon, their soul is badly damaged before it can pass over to the other side. Your soul will be repaired but it'll take some time. More than that I cannot allow you to pass into the afterlife with that things blood in you," she explained in way that Mike could understand.

Now she was talking about the blood again. Why was she so concerned about the blood in his body?

"What's wrong with that monster's blood in me? It's not like I'm going to die am I?" he asked.

The woman let out another short sigh and he could hear some frustration in her voice this time. Through these actions from her, Mike than began to feel a sense of dread growing within him. Maybe there was more to death than he had previously thought.

"I'm afraid that the blood has tainted your soul and will try to taint your body as well. Any living creature that gets the blood of a demon into it's body whether still living or dead, will slowly become a monster themselves. In other words, you are now part demon and if you allow it to linger in your body for too long, you'll become an entity of evil yourself. Your blood must be cleansed before you can join the afterlife. I'm sorry but it has to be done," she explained in as calm a tone as she could muster.

Mike gulped as her words began to sink in. Cleanse his blood? How was he supposed to do that? He was dead so how was he going to do anything to fix himself? It wasn't like he could just come back from the dead. Could he?

"So what do I do about this? I'm dead. I can't come back," he asked.

The woman let out another soft chuckle and said, "But I can do something about that. What I CAN do is keep the evil side dormant while your soul is repaired. When you wake up, you'll be in a new world. I'm afraid that after that, you'll be on your own. Only you can choose your own path."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

But he didn't get an answer as the next thing that happened is that he felt a stinging pain in his chest. He could feel the wounds in him closing up and couldn't help but scream out a little bit as they rapidly healed up. Once it subsided he could see the brightness around him fading and the world around him went dark once more as his conciousness faded once again.

**(Awakening)**

With a groan and a wince, Mike began to stir as he could feel conciousness returning to him. Not taking any chances this time, he slowly began to open his eyes and expected the brightness to be around him again. But the brightness wasn't there and he noticed that it was actually darker out this time. As he got a better look above him, he could make out the sky above him. It was nighttime and the stars and the moon were out and the air around him was feeling a little chilled. As he looked to his side, he could see a large number of trees gathered all around indicating that he was out in the woods.

Mike couldn't quite grasp what was going on here. Had it all been just a dream? The monster, the netherworld, and the voices? He couldn't tell and more importantly, if it had really been just a dream then how did he get out here? Did he blackout or something? He couldn't tell.

He could feel a growing pain in his forehead that caused him close his eyes again. He lifted his hand to his head to try to ease the pain... and then felt something hit him in the face. Something that felt thin and leathery too. This caught him off guard as he hadn't expected something like this. He opened his eyes once more and saw some kind of membrane in front of his eyes. As he moved his arm, the membrane moved with it. He moved it away from him and he got a better look and saw that said membrane was actually attached to his arm... an arm that was now covered in hair. With a growing sense of dread, he looked at his other arm and saw the exact same sight. Hairy and with a membrane attached to it as well. He looked where his hand was supposed to be and instead of a hand he saw something different. He saw that he still had his fingers, but they ran down the membrane on his arm and saw a thumb claw on the membrane as well.

Mike was starting to feel a little creeped out and tried to stand up, but instead he found himself slipping. After this he feared to look down at himself because he was afraid of what he would see, but knew that in the end he would have to. He looked down at himself and tried his best to supress a scream. As he looked down, he could see a huge mass of hair running down his torso and legs and saw the membrane attached to his sides and legs as well and that is what he had been slipping on. He could see a tail on him as well and the membrane was attached to it as well. The fur on him was a bright reddish color as well as the membrane on him which he could now tell were wings. He had wings now and fur as well. There was only one animal that he knew of that had wings and was still a mammal.

He began to tremble and looked over to his left. He saw a pond nearby with the moonlight reflecting off of it. Taking a deep breath, Mike got down onto his knuckles and crawled over to the edge of the water. As he approached the reflective surface of the pond, he closed his eyes and prepared himself for the sight he feared he would see. He crawled forward a little to the point where he could feel some of the water touching his new wings and then he opened his eyes. Sure enough, he confirmed his worst fears.

"I'M A BAT?! HOW DID I BECOME A BAT?!" Mike cried out loud to no one in particular.

As he looked back at his reflection, what he saw was indeed himself in a new body. He had a muzzle like most bats did along with two large ears on the top of his head. His eyes were very green and the fur on his muzzle was almost similar to the blond hair he had had when he was human. And speaking of hair, he was shocked to see some on the top of his head like that of a regular person. It matched the shade of his human hair and even had a more slicked back look to it. And the mane on his chest was light red as well. Overall he had the appearance of a bright red bat.

Mike used his wings to clutch the top of his head and he fell to the ground and began groaning in frustration.

"Why? Just why? Why make me a bat of all things? Was it too much to make me a living person again? Or any other animal? Why a bat? They're practically useless and weak," he ranted as he lied there seething in anger.

He sat there in his own self pity listening to what little sound there as the cool wind blew around him. As he felt the air around him he couldn't help but wonder. How long had he been dead? He remembered that it had been mid spring when he had gone to Fergus' shop. It had been a warm night when he had been attacked. But now the wind felt very cold around him. It had to be late November now at the very least and even a gentle breeze was enough to make the night feel colder than it actually was. He was at the very least glad that he had fur all over him and that it kept most of the freezing temps out. But he knew that he would have to get moving soon and find shelter to warm his body up or he would freeze.

He looked at his new wings and he said, "Well I'm going to have to get used to these things eventually. Might as well get started on it."

He took a breath and tried to kick off the ground, but instead he slipped, fell over, and landing uncermoniously on his chin.

"Ah! Okay I think that may have been a bad start. Okay so let's try again. Nothing ventured nothing gained," he said and stood back up.

He decided to try jumping off the ground once more, but this time he started to flap his wings. Slowly at first and for a moment he was actually airborne. But it was a struggle keeping himself in the air for a few seconds and brought himself back down again. This time however it was a gentle landing on his feet and not a rough one on his chin.

"Okay. I think we may be getting somewhere now. Just need to make some altitude and I might get the hang of this yet," he said and prepared himself.

'Third times the charm,' he said in his head and kicked off the ground as hard as his legs would allow and flapped his wings as hard as he could.

This time however he managed to stay aloft and with each flap of the wings, he managed to gain a little more height. He did it, he was actually airborne now. He allowed himself to gain a few more feet and decided that he would have to learn to move. He tried to clear his mind and tried to shift his weight to his left and actually managed to turn a little bit. After a few more tries he was able to get himself to turn more easily. Then as he leaned forward and began to flap his wings, he was able to move forward.

"Alright this getting easier. Now let's set an objective," he said and started looking around.

He began flying forward slowly yet surely. He was trying to get accustomed to his new ability and knew that he'd have to use tree branches as vantage points to get a better look around the area. So he flew for the tallest tree in his field of view and used his clawed thumb to cling to the trunk. He swiftly climbed up it and when he figured he was high enough, he crawled out onto the nearest branch and began looking around the woodland around him. The first thing he spotted was what appeared to be an old dead tree trunk out on a rocky bar on a lake. It was a little far off, but he figured it would at least be good shelter from the cold. So the effort of getting there would be worth it.

As he observed the tree trunk, he began to lose his footing and with a shriek he fell forward and he would have fallen off the branch. Thankfully he instinctivly used one of his feet to cling to the branch and ended up hanging upside down from the branch with one foot and as he regained himself, he reached up with his other foot and grabbed on.

Mike sighed in relief and said, "At least I knew this much about these things."

He turned his attention back to the tree and then looked back up at his feet. He knew what he would have to do here and he just knew that he was probably gonna hate himself for this. Without missing a beat, he loosened his hold on the branch and allowed himself to fall a little and then following what he had done earlier, shifted his weight forwards and this straightened himself out and he flapped his wings once more.

Once he was airborne again and turned back to the dead tree, he allowed himself to dive forward. Deciding to try something, he spread out his wings and allowed himself to catch the air. He straightened himself out and noticed that this was much easier than just flapping your wings over and over again. Shifting his weight from side to side allowed him to turn more easily. To turn more sharply, he'd flap his wings once or twice and it would cut off the air flow before spreading his wings out again and soaring through the air again with only an occasional flap.

But as he approached the old dead tree, he realized that he was coming in too fast. Even if he started braking now he'd surely hit the tree. Still though, he pulled his wings back to cut off the airflow again and slowed his speed down enough to where he wouldn't be hurt. But he still hit the side of the tree with enough force to disorient himself for a moment. He slid down the trunk of the tree and landed among the old dead roots.

Mike pulled himself away from the tree and said, "Got to work on my stopping."

Mike stood back up to brush himself off, but as he did so he could hear the sound of someone laughing above him. As he looked up though he realized it wasn't just one person laughing at him, but two. Above him he saw two more bats and from the sound of their voices, were a little younger than him. There was a chubby one with reddish brown hair and a more petite one with very blond hair and from the sound of the second voice he could tell that it was female. They both had silvery fur and their wings had a similar color to them.

Mike growled a little and said, "Yeah yeah laugh at the guy who just smacked into a tree. Laugh it up you two."

At the sound of Mike's voice, the chubby one laughed even harder and said, "He's older than us too. An experienced flyer that can't even avoid a tree? I can fly better than that with my eyes closed."

The female continued to laugh with him. Seething, Mike turned his attention back to the the tree and attempted to climb up it. However it was hard getting his claws into the bark that felt nearly as hard as rock. The wood must have been petrified. Possibly due to age.

"What you can't even try flying up to the top? You gotta climb?" taunted the female.

Mike tried to ignore them as he continued his climb, but their taunts persisted and quite frankly they were starting to get on Mike's nerves. He had plenty of patience, but it was beginning to wear thin.

"Come on. You can make it," taunted the chubby one.

"Don't slip cause it's a long way down," the female would say with a laugh.

"Oh man. I wish Chinook was here to see this. He'd be getting a kick out of this," the chubby bat added.

As they continued to pester Mike, his patience continued to wear thin. It wasn't until the female said something big that sent Mike over the edge.

"Come on now. I bet your newborn sister would be a much better flyer than you," she said.

That did it. The last thing he needed right now was to be reminded of his sister and he certainly wasn't about to let someone use her as part of a taunt. Rage filled Mike's eyes as he turned towards the two of them as they still laughed. He spread his wings and kicked off of the tree and flew straight up towards them. Here their laughs finally stopped and instead they too took flight as they saw an enraged Mike flying straight at them.

They were able to get some good distance away from Mike, but he kept after them. They flew as hard as their wings allowed as did Mike. They dashed for the trees of the nearby forest, hoping to lose him in a tangle of branches. Instead he kept up and would watch them from above as they tried to get away. As they hid amongst the twigs and branches, Mike continued to survey them. He waited for the right moment and then dived down towards them and landed on a branch right above them as they looked away from him. Hoping to get the drop on them, Mike was about to pounce on them when something slammed into his side and knocked him away.

Mike scraped against the branch and landed face up. As he tried to sit back up, he felt something put pressure onto his wings and legs. Before he knew it, he could see another face appear in front of his. It was another bat, but this one had a more muscular build to him and had blue hair atop his head and like the other two he had silvery fur as well. He bared his teeth at Mike and snarled some.

"Who are you and why are you chasing my friends?" he demanded angrily.

If this kid was trying to intimidate Mike, he was failing at it. Instead Mike just looked this kid in the eye and bared his own teeth at him.

"Do you kids get your sick kicks from making fun of someone who is having a rough time? Or how about using family members as an insult?" Mike asked in his own mocking way.

In a moment they were accompanied by the chubby bat and the female as Mike struggled under this new bat's grip. Mike could tell that he was about the same age as the other two, but he was certainly much stronger than them and he was even stronger than Mike himself.

"Whoo! Thanks for the save Chinook," said the Chubby one.

The female nodded and said, "Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't shown up?"

The blue haired bat, now known as Chinook, grinned at them and said, "Todd? Breeze? You guys okay?"

They both said that they were fine and they turned their anger and attention towards Mike as he stopped struggling under Chinooks grip seeing as he wasn't making any progress against his grip.

"Now what is your problem? Why were you attacking them?" Chinook asked angrily.

Mike growled back and said, "You guys like laughing at someone else's expense? Even laughing at their loved ones and making a mockery out of them?"

The chubby one, Todd, let a humph and said, "Well someone can't take a joke."

"Yeah. You need to chill," said the female named Breeze.

They were starting to irritate Mike and humiliation began to set at the fear of being seen like this. Pinned down to a tree branch by some punk bat and being taunted by two others. But rather than let anger win out in the end, Mike decided that it was best to just accept defeat and listen to what the girl known as Breeze had suggested.

Mike took a deep breath and said, "Okay okay. You guys win. Just let me calm down a little bit and you can get off me too you know."

Chinook refused to move however and shook his head.

"Uh-uh! Not going to move until I know you aren't here to hurt us," he said.

Mike rolled his eyes and said, "Okay look. I was just angry. I'm lost and probably far away from home. I saw the big dead tree and I figured that I could take shelter there. However I've got some problems with flying and laughing at me about them does not do well for those problems. Just don't anger me and we won't have a problem. Are we good?"

Chinook looked up to take a moment to think, but as a moment passed Mike began to feel impatient. It wasn't until someone else arrived that things got better.

"Hey! What you guys doing?" said another young voice.

Mike turned his head to see another young bat land on the branch with them. He had a lighter shade of silvery fur than the other three and he had hair that was a darker shade of blond than Breeze had. He was also shorter than the others as well as his head only reached to Chinook's shoulders.

Chinook turned his head towards the new bat and said, "Nothing you need to be concerned about Shade. Just trying to teach someone a lesson here."

Mike let out a chuckle and said, "Yes cause someone who is the butt of all your jokes really needs to be taught a lesson."

Mike then took a moment to explain to Shade what had happened between them despite Chinook trying to shut him up. When Mike had finished his story, Shade couldn't help but shake his head in disgust.

"That is typical of you guys. If you were mocking him it's no wonder he went after you," Shade argued.

"Besides I wasn't really going to harm you guys. Just wanted to spook ya to teach YOU a lesson. If you're gonna cause trouble for someone you better be ready for the consequences," Mike said as a smirk began to grow on his face.

Chinook groaned and he finally got off of Mike and said, "Fine I'll let you go. But I want the both of you to stay out of my way."

He shifted his focus to Shade and with a glare he said, "Especially you runt. Come on guys."

As Chinook and the others flew off, Mike stood back up and turned his attention to Shade.

"So thanks for helping me out there kid," Mike said and rubbed the back of his head.

Shade nodded and said, "It's no problem. Chinook is just all talk. He's more annoying than dangerous to be honest. So now who are you and what kind of bat are you? I've never seen fur like yours."

Mike really didn't know how to answer either question that Shade had asked. All he knew was his name but that was it. He wasn't even sure if he should tell the boy his name because he wasn't planning to remain here for very long. But he didn't want Shade to pester him any further, so he sucked it up and gave him an answer.

"Well my name is Mike and I actually don't know what I am. No one's ever told me about the differences," Mike answered truthfully.

Shade shrugged and Mike said, "Well thanks again for the save kid, but I really have to get going."

Mike was about to take flight when he heard the sound of some birds singing in the distance and he could see a section of the night sky was beginning to light up. Before he could take off, Shade placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Wait that's the dawn chorus. If you leave now you won't be able to find any shelter before the sun comes up," he warned Mike.

Mike grunted and said, "So? What's wrong with being out in the sun?"

Shade paused and gave Mike a gaping look and said, "I honestly don't understand why, but we can't be out in the sun during the day. Didn't your mother ever teach about staying out of the sun?"

Mike shook his head and Shade was awestruck.

"Have you seen it?" asked Shade.

Mike could feel a laugh building up inside him and said, "Maybe I have and maybe I haven't."

Shade was about to pester him some more, but as the sky got brighter he decided that he'd ask him about it another time.

"I'm probably going to get in trouble for this, but come back with me to Tree Haven. I'm sure that they'll let you stay there for the day," Shade offered him.

Mike was about to turn him down, but realized that he was not familiar with this region and had no idea where he would be going if he just up and left. And if there truly were dangers to him out here and he couldn't be out in the sun, then that was a risk he wasn't about to take. Especially since it's something that was completely avoidable. Besides he felt some aches developing in his joints so he needed to get some rest and it sounded like a good idea.

He turned back to Shade and said, "Alright kid I'll come with ya. But I'll need to talk to someone who knows the area once we're inside."

Shade nodded and then took wing with Mike following after him. Mike was actually amazed at how well he himself was getting at flying after only a few attempts at it. He must have been a natural at this.

They flew back towards the old dead tree and Mike followed Shade to the lower roots of the tree. Here there was a hole big enough for them both to crawl through. Shade went first and Mike followed after him.

**Finally done with this chapter. Mike is now in a new body and now he ha met a possible new friend. Next time we shall get to explore Tree Haven. Also I know that bats are color blind and Mike will be in the future. He just turned bat so he can still see in color for now.**

**If you folks enjoyed, please review and leave a like and I'll see you all next time.**


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